I have a couple of questions regarding buffing out oxidization. I have a blue 38' Donzi with some oxidization that makes the blue look chalky. What can I do to take this out? It appears to be in streaks where rain water ran off of the top deck and down the sides. Thanks for any help.

Corey

Is the boat painted or Gel coat - how old is the boat/color ? Do you store your boat indoors or out - have you used any unusual cleaning materials recently ?

the boat is an 01' that has been outside in Florida for an extended period of time. The oxidization appears to be from salt water. no unusual cleaners that I know of. It appears that the salty FL rain running off the topdeck caused the streaking. The boat's graphics are in the Gel. Thanks

Corey

The streaking sounds like stains not oxidation per say.

Try using a little cleaner wax, or compound on a rag in a small spot and see if it takes it off to your satisfaction. If that works fire up the buffer and carefully buff the hull. Or you can work it by hand if you got time on your hands.

If it doesn't remove the marks you can always wet sand. I don't think you would need anything more agressive than 800. Then buff. I stick with 3M products but there are a ton of stuff that works just fine.

Don't forget to rewax the whole thing

It is unlikely that the salt has caused your problems. If the boat has remain uncovered then the UV from the sun is doing the damage. Depending on the "gel" and the pigments used for this dark color the problem may be a little of both. If vinylester or epoxy was used as the "Clear gel"....this would most likely have been done at the factory by mistake. Depending on the pigment used in the "gel" this may be the problem. If the top surfaces are in fact painted then aggain the UV is breaking down the paint. This could be either a clear urethane or the color coat. Aliphatic urethanes ( same stuff your car is painted with) generally hold up well to sunlight, so you may again have a mismatched system here. I suggest wash the boat with fresh water, then use a salt remover such as "salt away" to be sure that we are not talking about a layer of salt, wash it again with fresh water. As written by another post remove haze using wet 800 paper or buffer and compund carefully. Protect surface with wax will be the simplest and lowest cost ,and protect the boat from direct sun light. If you use a cover make sure it is breathable. A continously wet surface under a hot cover will creat other problems particuarly with a painted surface.

I deal with the same issue on my 1988 240 sport. the colors get chalky by the end of the season. Even with waxing it. I find that I have to buff it out about once a year to regain the original colors and eliminate the hazzy chalkyness. But I am curious how the "paint in gel" process works. I am of the understanding that the hull is pulled from the mold, finished, prepped then paint is applied directly to the hull. Once paint is applied and finished, they spray gelcoat over it to protect the paint. Am I correct in this process or wrong. Also, would buffing eventually remove all the old gelcoat exposing the hull and painted surface to the elements expediting oxidation? Can you respray gelcoat to prevent further oxidation or from it coming back? Or is it better to clearcoat it.

I am trying to avoid sanding the whole boat, priming it, then doing a base coat clear coat paintjob over the whole thing. No desire to change the graphics or update them. Also, I leave it in the water, fresh, all summer and have heard that base-clear paint can bubble from extended exposure to water. I know its long. Hopefully I was precise enough. Thanks.

Roll,

Graphics in the gel is not done with paint. Nor is it done after the boat comes from the mold. It is done inside the mold in gelcoat befor the lamination is done. When the boat comes out of the mold it's done.

You can theoretically eventually buff all your gelcoat off. Buffing IS removing material. A slight bit at a time but you are making the gel thinner and thinner everytime. However your never going to expose paint . Under the gelcoat is fiberglass.

You can use clears to seal the gelcoat and provide some UV protection. Befor applying the clear you MUST remove all the oxidized gel and clear over nice fresh gel.

Thanks for the info. I was never sure how they creation process worked. If they did the colors in the mold or once out then gelled over.

Ive heard about the use of Clear Coat to seal up the gel once you buff out the oxidation. So it looks like my choices are to buff and seal or repaint with Clear-Base. Thanks for helping clear things up. No pun intended.

if you are going to clear coat you are going to have to do much more then buff.

The surface MUST be completely dewaxed, then sanded. You need to remove all the oxidation and the sanding also gives the clear something to adhere to.

Dewax first, if not you stand the chance of actually sanding wax into the gel and that will ruin your clear coat. Dewax, degrease, sand , dewax and degrease again!

Spraying the paint is the fast and easy part. Doing the proper prep is the time consuming, labor intensive but MOST important part.

Also, when sanding be sure to keep your surface flat, you don't want to find out after your cleared, cut and polished that it's a wavy mess.

Thanks. I know the prep is the crucial part. Like doing automotive work. The more time in prep, the better the finished product. Thanks for all the info. I've learned alot already from conversations with Glassdave. But youve been able to clear up some more questions Ive had with it. Thanks for all the help.